Does submission imply inequality?
(Ephesians 5:21-33; Colossians 3:18-19; 1 Peter 3:1-7) Blog Aug. 27-Sep. 02, 2023
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: Believers are empowered by the Holy Spirit to build up God’s church. With this power they are expected to walk in love, light, and wisdom. In this way they mingle with other gifted members encouraging growth and unity in the fellowship, for they all share one Lord, one faith, and one Spirit.
Submission
1. Why does Paul turn to marriage relationships in Ephesians 5? Since family relationships are the source & foundation for proper church relationships & provide for sexual purity, they are a vital component of Paul’s concern for the church & its eternal union with Christ (Eph. 5:21-33).
2. Who does Paul say should submit to whom? Paul says that church members should submit to one another (Eph. 5:21; 1 Pet. 5:5-6).
3. What limiting factor does Paul include with mutual submission? All submission is limited by whether it is in harmony with God’s will (Eph. 5:21; Col. 3:17-18).
4. What does the word “submission” mean? Submission means “to yield to the will of another,” to place yourself in line with their decisions (Gen. 16:9; 1 Chron. 29:24; Heb. 13:17).
5. To whom does Paul write in Ephesians 5:22? Paul is writing to wives, not to single women or to men. Paul never asks husbands to make their wives submit to them (Eph. 5:21-22).
6. Why does Paul say that wives are to submit to their husbands? Paul says the reason wives are to submit to their own husbands is because “the husband is the head of the wife,” the appointed leader of the home (Eph. 5:21-22; Gen. 3:16).
7. How does Paul say that wives are to submit to their husbands? Wives are to submit to their husbands as they would submit to Jesus (Eph. 5:22-24; Col. 3:18).
8. Is it wrong for a husband to submit to his wife’s desire? No, church members are to submit to one another but in the end the responsibility falls on the designated leader or head (Eph. 5:21).
9. Does submission infer inequality? No, submission refers to leadership roles & not to inequality. Men & women are all equal in Christ & Christ & the Father are equal even when one is the Head (1 Cor. 11:3; Gal. 3:28).
Loving Husbands
10. What kind of leadership are husbands to exercise for their wives? Husbands are to exercise loving, self-sacrificing leadership in the home, like Jesus does for the church (Eph. 5:25-28).
11. What are some of the things that Jesus does for the church that husbands should do for their wives? Besides sacrificing for their wives, husbands are to provide for, protect, & lovingly purify their wives, kindly forgiving them (Eph. 4:32; 5:25-29; Matt. 16:18; 1 Tim. 5:8).
12. To what should a husband’s love to his wife be equal? A husband’s love for his wife should be equal to his love for himself & his own body (Eph. 5:28, 33).
13. How does a man care for his own body? A man protects his body with appropriate clothing or work gear, he feeds, washes, & grooms his body (Eph. 5:28).
14. What relationship is higher than that of parent/child? The husband/wife relationship is higher than that of parent/child for both God & Paul say that a man should leave his parents & be joined to his wife as one flesh (Gen. 2:24; Eph. 5:31)
Christ and the Church
15. What is the relationship between Christ and the church? Like a husband to a wife, Christ is the Head of the church which is his body (Eph. 1:22-23; 5:23).
16. Considering Paul’s comparison of marriage with Christ’s relationship to the church, how should the church respond to Jesus? Church members should submit to Jesus’ will & decisions, knowing that his love for them is beyond measure (Eph. 3:18-19; 5:2, 23-25)
17. How is Jesus preparing his bride for the marriage? Jesus is washing his bride with the Word of God to fit her for the marriage (Eph. 5:26-27).
18. What condition will the bride of Christ attain before Jesus takes her to his Father’s house? Before entering heaven, Christ’s church will attain perfection (Eph. 4:12-13; 5:27; Rev. 19:7-8).